Killed: Amy was left dying under the wheels of the car as Ibrahim ran off

A failed asylum seeker who left a young girl dying under the wheels of his car after a hit-and-run accident has been freed to the disgust of her family.

Aso Mohammed Ibrahim was due to be deported after his applications for asylum and citizenship were kicked out. But the 31-year-old Iraqi Kurd has been released on bail from custody while he makes yet another appeal to stay in the UK. He says it is too dangerous for him to return to his homeland.

The father of 12-year-old Amy Houston, who was mowed down by Ibrahim's Rover car as she went to the shops more than five years ago, has spoken of his outrage.

Paul Houston, 39, an engineer, said: 'It's an insult to my daughter. I walk around the street and I'm looking over my shoulder every two minutes thinking, "Am I going to see this bloke?"

'How many more appeals does he get? It is my duty as a father to see this through to the end.

'If I didn't fight then another person would find themselves in this position and I don't want anybody else's kid to get killed. He's just laughing at the British justice system. It is so wrong.'

Weeks before the fatal accident, Ibrahim, who was living in Blackburn, had been banned for nine months for driving while disqualified, without insurance and without a licence. He has never held one. Left to die: A treasured family picture of Amy Houston with pet dog

Amy, who lived in nearby Darwen with her mother Joanne, was outside her home in November 2003 when she was knocked down after running into the path of Ibrahim's car.She was trapped beneath it but Ibrahim responded by getting out and running off.

A police officer drove an ambulance to hospital so both paramedics on board could treat Amy but she died in hospital that day.

Happier times: Amy is pictured here aged 7, with her father Paul and grandmother Margaret, at her first Holy Communion

Ibrahim, who has married a British woman and has two children with her, was jailed for four months by Blackburn magistrates for driving while disqualified and failing to stop after an accident. Free: Ibrahim was disqualified and driving with no insurance when he hit Amy and left her to dieThe maximum they could have given him was six months but they were required to give him credit for an early guilty plea.

Since then he has exhausted all his applications to stay in the UK and he was seized in October last year by the UK Border Agency which said he would be deported 'at the earliest opportunity'.

But he has won a court appeal against him being detained while his deportation case is being processed.

He was freed by an immigration judge this week to the outrage of the family, Justice Secretary Jack Straw and the Border Agency.

Mr Straw, MP for Blackburn, said: 'I am very concerned. I'm making arrangements to speak to Amy's family and also with the Home Secretary.'

A spokesman for the Border Agency said: 'We are extremely disappointed at the court's decision - we vigorously opposed bail for this man.

'Individuals with no rights to remain in the UK will sometimes attempt to frustrate the removal process, but the public can be rest assured we will continue to work towards their removal as quickly as possible.'

The agency said it could not estimate how long it would take before a decision was made on Ibrahim, who will have to report to a police station as part of his bail conditions. Road safety groups campaigned for years for stiffer penalties for killer drivers to be introduced.In 2007, the Government introduced longer prison sentences for people causing a death while driving a car while disqualified or without valid insurance.

What happened to the girl is very sad and of course shouldn’t have happened; don’t let what I say next detract from that.

I don’t know the circumstances of the accident so I can’t comment on it. My problem here is that others don’t know the circumstances either, yet some people have already decided what has happened and who was at fault. Yes the bloke should not have been driving for various reasons and should certainly be punished for at least that, but I don’t see how anyone can immediately lay the blame on this bloke based solely on this one article (read the comments); nothing was mentioned about the circumstances of the collision. Let hear from the accident investigators, if he is found to be in any way at fault then by all means give him fear such that he feels Iraq is safer for him than staying here in the UK.That photo of him doesn’t cast him in a good light…

Edited to add:

I've just realised this happened years ago, surely we would have known by now if he had caused the collision through: racing, negligence, intent, incompetence etc. I’ve read through many news articles; of these only one mentioned the circumstances of the accident.

Many people, including Janet Anderson (MP) are claiming he was the cause of the casualty, and have even created a campaign on the back of it (Amy's Law).

John Wood, prosecuting, said that as Ibrahim approached a traffic-calming measure on Newfield Drive a boy ran across the road. Amy was following and ran into the car.

(and with the traffic calming measure WTF?)

There's more:

Quote:

"On the day of the offence he was fully aware that he should not have been on the road," said Mr Wood. "It obviously follows that had he not been on the road this tragic accident would not have happened."

Sorry, but no! From what I've read, that’s an utter fallacy.It could have happened with any driver who was there at that fateful moment, licenced/insured/MOTed or not. In fact it is very likely the accident would have happened anyway, it’s not like the driver behind wouldn’t have filled the void if the Iraqi wasn’t there.

That’s why he got a seemingly light sentence, yet people are dumb enough to jump to wild conclusions without asking why thr sentence seems so wrong.

I would like to continue giving my thoughts and there’s much more that I could say, but it would make for uncomfortable reading, so I’ll stop.

That’s why he got a seemingly light sentence, yet people are dumb enough to jump to wild conclusions without asking why thr sentence seems so wrong.

he actually got the maximum penalty possible for the offences with which he was charged. He was not charged with any driving standards offence, but with driving while disqualified and without insurance, presumably because his standard driving was not considered to be at fault.

Driving while disqualified is a summary only offence and so can only be dealt with in the Magistrates court with a maximum penalty of 6 months custody. With the compulsory one third off for a guilty plea at the earliest reasonable opportunity that comes down to the 4 months he got. His licence would have been endorsed with the no insurance.

If this incident were to be repeated the driver would face up to 2 years custody for causing death by driving while disqualified or uninsured as this charge does not need evidence of any fault in driving standards.

_________________I am not a lawyer and can't give legal advice. I do have experience of the day to day working of courts and use that knowledge to help where possible. I do not represent any official body and post as an individual.

But this happened to a little boy called Callum on New Years Day 2004. The boy had sneaked out of his home unknown to his Mama to play out with his friend. They crossed a dual carriageway . NSL - I think? It was on PH around Jan 2004 when I joined .. *******

He was struck und killed instantly by a similar chap . who had the identical outcome when it came to court. You see.. he was not speeding above the lolly .. but still failed to see this boy on COAST error. He was unlicenced.. uninsured .. illlegally here. Court dealt in the same way which back up what fisherman say.

I have since phone up Jazz und Ju-Ju independently of each other. They are trainee magistrates with Salford/Manchester. They confirm that what they have read up und observed happen to be so.

I conclude that law ist a hot farty arse which does not deliver fair justice - to ordinary folk in dire need of this.. in each area . whether it be civil case or criminal like this one.

I would just love the law to throw book .. apply the same law to these as to the native legals .. then deport as soon as debt paid to our society.

Back home . . this would occur. Swiss are politically correct . but not that daft overall Or are we? I have some FUN things to post up!

But if you pinged by a lolly at a mere blip .. convinced you were not speeding .. or cannot recall at which point you und your beloved spouse swap front seats.. und challenge on that basis .. you become viewed as "public enemy number one!

It's true that this fellow was in the wrong place at the wrong time, so to speak. Perhaps the following driver would have encountered the same outcome, that is not the issue as I see it. The real issue is that someone who has no right to be in this country, and has shown contempt for our ways by breaking the law whilst here (to a fairly serious degree), is allowed to walk free, with the opportunity to disappear into the crowd, despite every indication that he will be deported!

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